Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-07-19
AGRICULTURAL.
Devoted to the Interests OF Farmers
and Stockmen.
How TO res, seeds.

The Ontario Agricultural tolies
- has issued bulletin ON this subject, a
which the following are extracts; 70
some years past. especially in England
u farmers have had their attention di
recied to the condition of the see'
II sown on the farm, and in many case
. have found that seed is far from beinl
pure or suited for the purposes intend
d ed. II fails in being true 10 its label
n other seeds are mixed with il, especial.
in the case of grass seed. In SOM
A samples many seeds of weeds ar
4 found, and in not 4 few eases there lisa
r lack OF terminating power in the seed
These facts have led TO the practice
= among prominent seedsmen Of guar
!, antceing the purity, cleanliness ant
/, vitality OF seeds sold, and it has been
observed that during the past few year.
marked improvement has resulted
Leading Canadian and American
scedsmen have also adopted this ides
! OF testing their seeds before recon-
mending them, and find that the ex
, pense is well repaid by securing the
confidence of the people. With \ view
: OF calling the attention Of farmers Il
this question of testing seeds this bull
letin is written.
While all failures in termination can
not be attributed entirely to poor seed
there is no doubt that much seed is
sown which has very little vitality, and
in some cases, especially grass. several
varieties spring up where only one was
expected The seeds Of weeds, too, are
not uncommon in seed grain, and thus
1t period in Canadian farming, where
there is 50 much interchange OF grain
for seeding purposes rs the present, it
I is not n matter OF surprise that we find
weeds on the increase, both in regard
TO number and variety The following
sietnods of testing seeds are recon-
mended
/ l. Place 100 seeds between sheets OF
blotting- paper laid on sand, and keep
the paper damp in a place where the
temperature is about Is TO IS degrees
Fahrenheit. The number Of seeds
terminating will indicate the percent
age good.
,. Place the seeds ON piece OF fan
mel in n saucer, with sufficient water
to moisten it thoroughly. After scat
tering the seeds 900 on the flannel. |
put piece of damp blotting- paper
over the whole and place in warm
room. Keep it continually damp, and
in short time the seed will germi. |
nate, the number sprouting will he the
OF good seed
). The f. flowing method is much
more complicated than the preceding,
and can only be adopted where the
subject is made study. This is the
apparatus used at the college. 1t con.
sists OF hemispherical copper boiler,
one foot in diameter, fastened TO the
bottom OF galvanized iron pan two
feet wide, four feet long and five inches
deep. The water passes from the cop
per boiler into the pan through four
small holes, and is made to circulate
over every part OF it by guides three.
fourths OF an inch high Another bot
tom resting on the top OF these is firmly
soldereu around the edges at one cor
ner tube passes through the bottom,
Tor the purpose Of filling the boiler and
underpan with water. After coming
from the copper vessel the heated wa.
ter runs back and forth several times
III the lower pan, and is finally con
Quoted by a return tube back to the
copper boiler, entering near the bot
tom. Some sand (about two inches
deep is put in the upper part of the
containing the seed to be tested. This
TN box and boiler is set in something
like an Office desk, about four feet
high, standing on four legs and having
a hinged, glazed top. Heat is pro-
duced by n small coal stove below.
This germinator is well adapted for
testing many samples at the same time.
a. For examining seeds as to purity,
scatter them on piece OF black card.
board, and the foreign grains are read
NY observed. Ii COOL selection OF
seeds, true to their kind, is kept for
comparison the impurities can be
easily identified.
Here follow the results of several
tests IN the germinator, but the follow
ing inierences drawn from them cover
the ground so lar as all practical pur-
poses are concerned:
L. Age has marked effect on the
vitality OF certain seeds.
Many seeds have lost much OF
Their vitality from improper curing, or
other causes.
., Frozen wheat is not reliable for
seed, even though terminating fair
per cent, Its growth in the field is of
more or less weakly nature.
4. All seeds should be tested for vi.
tality and purity.
.. .. Seeds are more likely to be good
from seedsmen than from commission
agents.
b, \ small percentage OF impure
seeus means very many in bushel
I. Thistles can be grown from seed
IA TACT contradicted by some farmers
at several institutes. They maintain
that thistles are propagated from the
root only, and that all the seeds are
Hungarian Grass,
Stephen Powers, we'll known writer
on agricultural matters, in communi. |
cation TO the Country Gentleman on this